Today in Labor History--April 14

April 14, 1812 – There was a Luddite food riot in Sheffield, England, in which mostly women and boys seized potatoes and vegetables and attacked a militia arms store. (From the Daily Bleed)

Currency Issued by Limerick Soviet, 1919

April 14, 1919 – In Limerick, Ireland, a General Strike was in full force against the British military occupation. The workers ran the city as a soviet, printing their own newspaper, issuing their own currency, and regulating food supply to prevent profiteering and keep prices below market. (From the Daily Bleed)
 

April 14, 1930 – Over 100 Mexican and Filipino farm workers were arrested for union activities in Imperial Valley, CA, with 8 being convicted of “criminal syndicalism.” (From The Unionist and Workday Minnesota)

April 14, 1939 – John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” was published. (From The Unionist and Workday Minnesota)